What is morbidity rate?
Morbidity rate refers to the frequency or proportion of individuals in a defined population who experience a particular disease or health condition during a specified time period. It is typically expressed as the number of cases per 1,000 or 100,000 individuals. Morbidity may include both acute and chronic conditions and is used to assess the overall health status and disease burden of populations.
Why is morbidity rate important in public health and pharmaceutical planning?
Morbidity rates help quantify the prevalence and incidence of diseases, enabling healthcare systems and pharmaceutical companies to identify high-need areas, allocate resources, and prioritize intervention strategies. In drug development and market access, understanding morbidity rates supports epidemiological modeling, market sizing, and health economic evaluations. It also plays a key role in demonstrating unmet medical need and in guiding research, prevention, and treatment efforts.